“It is very important to exchange information with China, where the number of nuclear power plants is expected to increase,” he said.

During his stay in China, Hosono plans to visit nuclear power plants to view their safety measures.

Kazakhstan and Japan also signed agreements this week, involving “not only extraction, but also manufacturing of high-tech fuel pellets at Kazakhstan-based facilities”, en.tengrinews.kz quoted Sergei Yashin, Vice Head of KazAtomProm as saying.

KazAtomProm, Kazakhstan’s national nuclear company is determined to begin exporting nuclear fuel components to Japan by as early as 2013.

“Our only plant will be manufacturing high-tech products such as uranium powders and tablets,” Yashin said.